


L'Ombre

by aj_linguistik



Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga), ソードアート・オンライン - 川原礫 | Sword Art Online - Kawahara Reki
Genre: Detective AU, Gen, Implied/Referenced Murder, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:21:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22134715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aj_linguistik/pseuds/aj_linguistik
Summary: A commanding officer gives his greenhorns a case to work on as he muses about field work.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	L'Ombre

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This was probably artsier than it needed to be. I just had an image in my head I needed to dump out.

A dimly lit room filled with messy stacks of paper sat occupied by a lone man with a fedora pulled low over his eyes. In his left hand, his fingers gripped a lit cigar, which gave off a sickly-sweet smell. The smoke from it curled out of the man’s mouth and nostrils, filling up the space around him like a low-lying fog. His right hand dipped a fountain pen in a bottle of ink, and then set about scratching out a report onto the parchment in front of him.

Outside, flashes of lightning lit up the dim room intermittently. He had nothing more than a few lamps in the room, all set to be not-too-bright. It was likely a strain on his eyes, but he preferred to sit in the dark like this. It helped him think, he told people. He tapped the butt of his pen against the table, lost in thought. A knock on the door interrupted him. He lifted his head and stared at it. Two silhouettes stood there. He cleared his throat.

“Come in.”

The brass door handle twisted, and the door opened with a tired creak. Two younger men entered the room, looking like a pair of mismatched twins. The one on the right wore a blue trench coat and fedora that were dark in contrast to his flaxen hair, pale skin, and sea green eyes. The one on the left wore a black outfit of the same design, which matched his ebony hair and eyes, only contrasted by his beige skin. This pair always came in together. They would deny it if asked, but the duo was inseparable. The one in black shoved his hands into his pockets and stepped forward to speak.

“You wanted to see us, Commander?”

Thunder clashed, and then moments later, more flashes of lightning illuminated the room. The faces of the two younger men looked grim. They knew this was no laughing matter. Sighing, the man leaned forward onto the desk, taking a long drag of his cigar. He drew it in nice and slow, as if savoring the taste on his tongue, and then he let it out in a steady stream. Smoke furled around his cheeks, causing him to look rather ghastly. He reached down into a draw and selected a manila file. Grunting, he tossed it on his desk.

The two young men glanced at each other. They nodded. Lifting his shoulders just a bit, the man in blue stepped forward, passing his partner, and precariously picked up the file. His fingers ran along the thin edges of the file and daintily flipped the cover open to look at the documents. His golden eyebrows knitted as he glanced over the document looking up at him. Curious, the man in black peered over his shoulder to read as well. Neither of them made a sound.

“A body recovered last night,” the commander said. “Slashed open as if by a sword in the alleyway. His given name was ‘Diavel.’ I’d like you two to look into why he might have been murdered.”

Sighing, the blond one shook his head.

“Strange for a sword slashing to occur,” he said. “Wouldn’t you say so, Night Sky?”

The man in black hummed and nodded his head.

“Agreed, Blue Rose,” he said. “A sword’s not a common weapon anymore. I wonder why he chose such a method to off this guy.”

The commander cleared his throat. The two men straightened up and looked over at him. He must have had more to say. They waited for him, one with eyes that revealed his patience, and the other with an eagerness to dive into the case. With an unchanging expression, the commander reached over the ashtray and flicked his cigar, dusting the dish lightly.

“The file contains some witnesses, some relatives, and other related persons,” he said. “I suggest that you hire an informant, though. We are rather lacking in the backgrounds of most of these individuals. None of them have a criminal record, but the woman Sasha is a teacher and as a more ample record than the others.”

Smirking, the man in black nodded.

“I know just the informant for the job,” he said. “Are we permitted to start right away?”

There was no reason that the commander could give to deny them starting this late at night. As salaried members of the force, they were free to spend as much time as they liked on the cases, so long as they spent at least forty hours a week as a minimum. These two liked to get to it, meaning that their work was usually efficient, but there was just one problem.

They were rookies.

All of their work up until now had been paperwork. They hadn’t been sent out to the field just yet, and they’d been waiting for the day they were sent out rather impatiently. Their minds were likely thinking of sending a quick message to an informant and then being stuck behind a desk deciphering clues again. The commander needed to make himself perfectly clear to his two employees.

“Please make sure you do the work in person, out in the field,” he said.

The man in black perked up, his eyes widening.

“We get to go out in the field?” he asked.

The commander gave a calm nod.

Grinning, the man in black pumped a fist into the air and patted his partner on the shoulder. The blond one seemed a little peeved at his reaction, but gave a hint of a smile nonetheless. He politely thanked the commander for allowing them to work on this case, and with a bit of restrained laughter, he grasped his partner by the arm and dragged him out of the office. The door shut behind them, letting through only a bit of the black-haired boy’s din.

The cigar met the commander’s lips once more. He took a long drag and thought about things for a moment. He was worried that the rookies wouldn’t be prepared for a murder investigation. They were green and as of yet unexperienced. They weren’t familiar with the horrors of working on a case in the field just yet. Smoke furled out of his nose and lips as he exhaled. Another flash of lightning made the room go pale for a moment.

He reached over and placed the needle on the record next to him.

Duke Ellington’s _Sunswept Sunday_ played.

A sunny song for a dismal day.

He flicked the butt of his cigar over the ashtray once more. A bit of snow over a plain of porcelain. With his left hand, he pulled his fedora down over his eyes. What he wouldn’t give to be green again, full of energy like those two young men. But he’d wait right here, and he’d applaud them when they solved their first field case.

The record skipped.

Static.

Continued playing.

Yes, he’d be patient. Until one day, he’d find the drive again, to climb that castle in the sky—a man brought on in years who longed for the height of the chase in his old age. He’d live vicariously through those boys. A smile spread across his lips. They’d climb it for him and bring back tales of their operation.

That was all he needed. 


End file.
